Sweet September

Well, we're finally moving toward cooler temperatures here in the South. And by that I mean that we had a few days in the 80's with almost no humidity. It has been a while since the last post, and honestly, we have just been having a great time. Not anything particularly blog-worthy, mind you (some of you will ask if this post was blog-worthy after reading!) but still having fun. It finally seems that we are falling into a groove for the first time since we moved here. We are finally settled into a house which will hopefully be home for a long, long time, we are making friends that will be around for the long haul, and it just feels like home now. I don't know how to explain it, but it is just a feeling of contentment that has escaped me for a long time.

Jake started preschool on the 5th. Let me tell you - that boy loves some school! He has waved and just said, "Bye!" every single day and managed to shed a few tears (or at least squeals of disappointment - aka 2 year old tantrums) every SINGLE day we pick him up. Of course I had to snap a few pics of his first morning.

Forgive the haziness of the second pic. It was a steamy September morning and my lens kept fogging. I have really enjoyed spending some one-on-one time with little C since Jake started school. Jake goes to school 3 mornings a week, and Connor has enjoyed some time to us all by himself. One particularly beautiful morning Connor and I strolled around the neighborhood for an hour, meeting various visitors and neighbors. Can I just say how much I LOVE living here? Twice recently, when we have had visitors, we strolled down to the dock in the neighborhood and watched dolphins. How cool is it that we can walk 2 minutes from our house and watch dolphins???? LOVE. IT. That is all.

We get a weekly email on the curriculum being covered at school that week. This week the kids were learning about the color blue, the number 1, emotions, and family. Could this be cuter? I think not. Anyhoo, the Jakeman was quite excited when the teacher showed pictures of his grandparents, Peanut, and Lucy to the class. Popeen, aka Peanut, and Susy, aka Lucy, are quite high on the ranking with the Jakeman -especially his Susy. Yep, this stray cat that showed up at our Mississippi doorstep has proven to be one of the most patient animals ever. Jason informed me that one of the traits of the Siamese breed is that they are tolerant of children and recognize the difference in children and adults. Well, this kitty certainly does. She would not stand to have Jason or I do the things that she sits there and lets Jake do. I heard him start talking to her the other day, and the camera was nearby. I wish I had audio so you could have heard him say, "Lub you, Susy - squee (squeeze)".

Connor is growing like a little weed, and at the pace he is going, he will be crawling before he sits up! He can sit for a few seconds before he topples, so it won't be long. This morning on two different occasions, I saw him on his knees and rocking. He does have the backward worm maneuver down pat, and somehow he managed to end up in the tent tunnel ALL BY HIMSELF as I drank my coffee this morning. At least I had had coffee before I had to crawl into the tunnel to fish him out!

The hubs and I have taken advantage of some nights off and having date nights more often. Thanks to our wonderful babysitter, we are able to venture out of the house sans kiddos and have some time to ourselves. As much as I love these little people, big people time is a must for us. We have had some pretty casual date nights lately, and that fits us just fine. Last week, we headed out to the beach for dinner and a stroll on the beach at night. There is just something that is so incredibly peaceful and relaxing about the beach after dark.

If you will remember, I posted here about freezer meals that I had prepared. Well, here's the verdict. One - they are gone except for 2 bags of pasta sauce and a few freezer sandwiches. I used one bag of pasta sauce as pizza sauce and it was yummy. The freezer sandwiches were a hit. I did use all the horseradish that the recipe called for, and it wasn't overpowering at all. Jason doesn't really like horseradish, and he liked the sandwiches. The sloppy joes were good, and I found out that there were people that had never eaten a sloppy joe. Really?? I would make them again. The Dr. Pepper pork was SOOOO good. I am sure it would have been wonderful on a sandwich, but we never got past the pork tacos. Seriously good. The chicken spaghetti is always good old comfort food. The only thing I didn't like was Paula Deen's chicken and rice. I ate it when I cooked it, but that was all. It is not something that I will ever make again. All in all, it was a successful batch of cooking, and I hope to do more soon. I am trying to get back on the Weight Watchers path since happy, date-night Akisha equals plumper Akisha. Haha.